How To Become An Activities Supervisor: What It Is and Career Path

What is an activities supervisor and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

If you're an expert organizer who knows how to make plans for events and outings, you'd probably be a perfect fit for working as an activities supervisor. As an activities supervisor, you'll be responsible for developing programs, staffing events, and overseeing the implementation of activities. You can work in a variety of settings, including camps, colleges, senior centers, nursing homes and community centers.

To succeed as an activities supervisor, you'll need to be creative, have a passion for helping others, and possess excellent communication and social skills. Many of these supervisors focus on providing therapeutic activities to assist the physical, mental, and psychosocial needs of others. Activities supervisors may also be involved in developing and approving budget expenditures along with supervising, training, and mentoring facility staff.

Although education requirements will vary, many employers will prefer candidates with degrees in leisure management, recreation management, social work, education, or other related fields. Previous experience, including volunteer work, may also make you more competitive in this field.

ScoreActivities SupervisorUS Average

Salary

2.7

Avg. Salary $34,230

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

8.0

Growth rate 10%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

4.2

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.64%

Asian 5.29%

Black or African American 9.72%

Hispanic or Latino 19.20%

Unknown 4.73%

White 60.41%

Gender

female 56.11%

male 43.89%

Age - 48

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 48

Stress level

8.0

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.7

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.2

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an activities supervisor

Explore activities supervisor education requirements

Most common activities supervisor degrees

Bachelor's

62.8 %

Associate

16.9 %

High School Diploma

9.9 %

Start to develop specific activities supervisor skills

Skills	Percentages
CPR	30.27%
Kids	30.21%
Healthy Environment	7.47%
Sports Equipment	6.57%
Safety Procedures	5.41%

Complete relevant activities supervisor training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New activities supervisors learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an activities supervisor based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real activities supervisor resumes.

Research activities supervisor duties and responsibilities

Provide administrative support to include managing and maintaining payroll for office staff member and personnel.
Complete evaluations, care plans, and MDS.
Train staff on the BSA, CRA and regulatory compliance.
Train to respond to emergencies and deliver first-aid and CPR when necessary.

Apply for activities supervisor jobs

Now it's time to start searching for an activities supervisor job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

What is an activities supervisor and how to become one

Activities supervisor career paths